Mach 2 1/72 Breguet 1050 Alize

MACH 2 1:72 BREGUET 1050 ALIZE

Reviewer: M.O'Connor (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: May 2000

Aircraft:
The Breguet 1050 ALIZE has been the French Aeronavale's primary carrier-based antisubmarine aircraft for over 25 years. A single-engine turboprop design dating back to the 1950's, it has more than served it's purpose for the French as well as the Indian Navies. The aircraft carries a variety of sonobuoys, torpedoes and depth charges. It carries a crew of three.

The Kit:
The Mach 2 Breguet 1050 ALIZE in 1/72 scale is a mixed bag of disappointment and delight. For someone like me who likes the unusual in modelling subjects, this fits the bill. I am a naval air enthusiast, and this as a one of a kind kit in this scale. The only other one I know of is the Heller 1/100 kit.

The kit is molded in soft, almost candle-wax texture plastic, and is of the limited production run variety, with lots of flash and very thick sprue connecting the parts. There are only two sprues- the kit parts and the clear parts. The clear parts are opaque at best, and the large canopy needs a lot of work with polish and sanding. We'll get to the crummy fit later.

Instructions:
The instruction sheet is poor- in French and English, but with limited instructions to supplement the limited drawings. The kit makes into one of three versions, a 50's-60's a/c, a 70's scheme, and a modern low-vis version. The builder has to decide fairly early on which one he wants. Painting instructions are fair-use outside sources, which are also pretty scarce.

Construction:
Construction begins with painting the interior parts, including the fuselage openings for the weapons bay, nose gear and tailhook bay, the wing nacelles for the main gear and sonobuoy bay. All those are done in buff, identified on the sheet as sand. The cockpit is dark gray with black instruments and detailed to taste. The interior is quite well done for a limited molding kit, with the exception of the three crew seats.

Likewise the various open bays, which are surprisingly well done. The ALIZE has a hydraulic system which relies on the engine to be running for the bay doors to close- if you build a static plane, you should open the bays.

The main parts don't have any locating pins, so construction is slow and careful, but not difficult. The hard part is placing the interior bay assemblies inside the fuselage and wing halves, and making sure they're straight. My kit was warped, and I found out later that the vertical tail canted to the right about 5 degrees, looking a bit awkward. Due to the soft plastic, I was able to immerse it in boiling water and straighten it somewhat. Use LOTS of nose weight- I used a lot, but barely got it to sit right.

I used lots of filler on the kit- the kit leaves a lot to be desired. As for detail, though, the surface is well scribed with very petite panel lines and the like. I was very pleased with the overall surface detail, but it was a chore not to ruin it all by filling and sanding the joints. The canopy fits poorly and I spent more time on it than anything. Take your time and settle in for a chore.

The landing gear is ok- nothing to get excited about, and difficult to set right. The tires are weighted, though, so it looks better than it would with perfectly round tires. The gear doors are extremely thick - I replaced them with plastic cars stock. Likewise the sonobuoy bay doors which sit in front of the main gear on those little wing nacelles.

Versions & Decals:
Painting instructions for the kit are less than clear, calling for light grey lower and azure blue upper fuselage on the low vis plane. I dumped those for a light sea grey and dark sea grey scheme, which I suspect is closer to the real thing. My research didn't show any closeups, so I couldn't till demarcation lines, etc. I winged it, and am satisfied.

The prop hub was missing from my kit and I have written to Mach 2 for a replacement. I could scrachbuild one, but I wanted to check on their customer service. Also, the kit decals were reordered at the same time, as they shattered on impact with the water. I used some other low vis French navy generics to start with, but will coat a new decal sheet with liquid decal upon receipt of the new sheet. Those decals were less than well done and appeared to be fuzzy around the edges on the large older model hi vis roundels.

Overall:
All in all, this is a kit for experienced modellers who want a challenge. But, it is the only ALIZE around , and if you like the unusual, like me, you'll make the sacrifice. The kit cost me $35.00 US, and that was too much for the work I had to put in to this. Now I'd like to get the Mach 2 Breguet 1150 ATLANTIC- anyone out there have experience with that??

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